Difference Between Conference and Meeting

Conference vs Meeting

Meetings and conferences are, in general terms are similar events where people come together to talk or discuss a chosen topic. However, people remain confused about the differences between a meeting and a conference. Though they have many similarities, there are enough differences for similar events to be classified as either a meeting or a conference. Normally, a conference is bigger on scale though it is also a type of meeting between different people who get together to discuss a particular subject.

Meetings are informal and involve lesser number of people than conferences that are more formal, have a particular agenda and people from far off places come together to discuss a subject of common interest. Meetings are often held in-house while conferences are held in places that are specially designed to hold meetings of this scale such as hotel conference rooms or training centers where there are facilities and the right environment and ambience to hold discussions at a large scale. There are larger numbers of participants or attendants in conferences and they may belong to different backgrounds.

Meetings on the other hand have no special requirements, and being informal can be held at a short notice at any suitable place. There is no planned agenda in meetings whereas in conferences, all activities and topics of discussion are set in priority depending upon their importance. Meetings have a short time period and are over in a matter of hours whereas conferences may be spread over a period of 3-7 days and the delegates participate in discussions and share their opinions over a number of issues.

Conferences require attendants to be accommodated in hotel rooms and if conference is held in a particular hotel, the delegates are provided accommodation in that hotel’s rooms.

In brief: • Both meetings and conferences are events where people gather and hold discussions. • Meetings are held on a smaller scale and have fewer participants. They are more informal and can be held in-house. Meetings are over in a period of hours. • On the other hand, conferences are more formal, are spread over several days and require accommodation and other facilities for the delegates.